Previously on Medium:
Allison Dubois?
I'm Catelyn Lynch. I'm with the Lydecker Corporation.
You're offering me a job?
What does it mean for high 6-figure
It mean you need to call her tomorrow
You need to find out what this is all about.
Do you rememeber Stacy Ann?
She died yesterday.
Her car filled up with water, and she drowned.
Stacy-Ann is that you?
I tried studying last night..
And I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't
get focused.
I use to have problem concentrating.
My doctor gave me these.
Just one.
Scanlon just called.
Looks like we got ourself a seriel killer.
Allison Dubois, detectiive Brad Auebach.
That's the same man.
The man that I saw in my dreams.
The one I saw in Autumn Colville's apartment.
I'm not going to interrogate the senior dectective
on the case.
Lee, it's me. I had another dream
and another murder.
that is has right now.
We need to find Detective Auerbach
We need to bring him in right away.
I've been with him all night.
Brad Auerbach didn't do this, didn't do any of this.
He coulnd't have.
♪ ♪
Good morning. May I help you?
Yes. My name is Allison Dubois.
I'm a new employee.
I was hoping that you'd have directions
and a pass here for me.
Allison?
I had a feeling you'd be getting here about this time.
I thought I'd welcome you in person.
Are you excited about your first day?
I'm excited.
I'm nervous.
I'm terrified.
I can completely relate.
I was all of the above.
Come on.
Let's get started.
Guess who works here.
Someone else who has the same name as me?
(laughing)
Go on in.
(gasping)
Yeah. Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
(gasping)
I just don't want to look out of place.
Well, I've never been to the place,
so I can't be of any help in that regard.
But I like... that one.
No, no, no. I have a bad feeling about that one.
About a suit?
I just... I want to make a good first impression.
Well, these people came after you.
You have met the burden of a first impression
and conquered it.
Mom, there's a big black car in our driveway.
The limo's already here, and I'm not even dressed.
Is that a limo?
What's going on?
Did Mommy get famous
and someone forget to tell us?
No, no, no, honey. Nobody got famous.
Mommy just got a new car with her new job.
They're picking me up this morning,
so I'm able to drive the new car home this evening.
Cool.
Wait, can we take the limo to school
and make all the other kids jealous?
Bridgette.
Well, can I at least go outside and take pictures of it?
You know what? You're going to have to handle this.
I don't have time.
(phone ringing)
Yep?
Allison?
I just needed to be reassured that God doesn't smite people
who ride to work in big black limousines
with handsome drivers who offer you hot coffee
and your choice of newspapers.
I can't. God does.
But I hear they're all smiling when the end does come.
So, uh, they're treating you well, huh?
Well, I really haven't started yet,
but "well" doesn't even begin to describe it.
Do you want to hear the nutty part?
I miss City Hall.
Allison, it's early Monday morning.
No one's even here yet.
There's nothing to have missed.
You know, just before the weekend,
I had kind of a crazy hunch.
Detective Scanlon didn't happen to mention it to you, did he?
It involved Detective Auerbach. (knocking)
No.
But I've got Lee standing in my doorway right now.
Is there something you want me to ask him?
It's Allison Dubois calling from her chauffeured limousine
to say hi to the little people.
Oh, yeah. Dubois. Which one was she?
Ha, ha, ha.
All right. Never mind.
DEVALOS: Allison.
Forget about this case. Start your new job.
Make a lot of money. I may need to borrow some.
Yeah, me, too. You were always my favorite, Allison.
Oh... (blows raspberry)
♪ ♪
Good morning. May I help you?
Allison!
I had a feeling you'd be getting here about this time.
I thought I'd welcome you in person.
Excited about your first day?
Guess who works here.
Someone else with the same name as me?
(chuckling)
Go on in.
Please. You do the honors.
Yeah. Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
I can't believe it. It's amazing.
I'm glad you like it.
You're going to be spending a lot of time in here.
I'm going to be forwarding you a lot of material,
and I want your impression on all of it.
As far as how you get those impressions, well,
if you need to kick off your shoes,
stretch out on your chair,
let your mind wander...
It's all part of the job.
What, napping's part of my job description?
I call it "contemplation time."
It keeps the other people around here from getting jealous.
But, to answer your question, yes.
Naps are cool.
As long as you keep an accurate log
of everything you see and pass it on to me.
Oh.
There is one other thing
that I think we should take care of today
after our meeting with Mr. Lydecker.
How about you and I go on a little shopping trip?
(chuckles)
Shopping?
I don't pretend to understand
exactly what it is that Caitlyn does,
but I am pragmatic enough to see that it works.
And now I found you, Allison.
Caitlyn tells me you have quite a gift.
Yes. That's what she keeps telling me, too.
I'll try not to let you down.
Oh, you won't.
Because I have enormous confidence in you.
This corporation thrives because we excel at two things:
innovation and secrecy.
We breed the next generation of ideas.
And then we manage and we cultivate those ideas,
confident that our competitors have no clue what we're up to.
So, naturally,
that creates a lot of temptation for our employees.
It would be very easy for someone
to supplement their income by leaking company secrets
to the press or to one of our competitors.
These are employee dossiers.
I'd like you to spend some time with them.
See if there's
anyone among this group that gives you pause.
(man sobbing)
(sobbing)
I'd be very anxious to hear what you have to say.
Ariel, I don't believe it. You got a perfect score.
In math. I didn't even think that was possible.
It was just a practice test.
Still, I hate you.
(both giggle)
It's your fault, you know. It's those pills.
I don't know. I look the pills, too, and I only got a 488.
No, I mean, without those pills,
there's no way I'd be able to do this.
There's no way I'd be able to focus or concentrate.
That reminds me...
I'm going to need some more.
Look, I don't think I can.
I just gave you a bunch.
I don't refill my prescription till next week.
How about just one?
I don't have one.
You know my father counts these.
Stop looking at me like that.
You're forgetting, I actually need this stuff.
I don't get it.
I thought this was about you being upset over Stacey Anne.
You're not still upset about her, are you?
(sniffling)
Look, all right, but I can only give you two more.
This is the last time, seriously.
♪ ♪
(chuckling)
Thank you.
Okay, I give up.
I'm sorry?
Did you say something?
I said, "I give up," trying to figure out
what's going on in that brain of yours.
I can't read your expression.
Well, my expression, that's, uh...
Exhaustion.
And amazement.
This has been an incredible day.
You're happy?
No, I'm miserable.
You're buying me clothes,
buying me a car.
I get to meet Mr. Lydecker...
He's pretty impressive, isn't he?
He's one of the most charismatic, uh,
intimidating, fascinating...
Tell me about it.
You know, I saw him cry.
I'm sorry?
Well, we were sitting in his office and I had a...
I mean, he was just sobbing.
It was as if someone had died.
Have you ever seen anything like that?
I've worked for the man for almost a decade,
and no.
You must be very good.
I think that this is one insight
that you should probably keep out of your log.
Yes, of course.
See anything?
Nope.
Yep. (horn honking)
Dad! Ariel!
I think she's coming!
Oh, wow! Can I borrow it?
Hey, ask me how my first day was.
You're smiling.
I'm sorry. Did you say something?
I said, "You're smiling."
Oh, I guess I am.
I actually had a pretty wonderful day.
I can't believe I hesitated to take this job.
Everyone there is so nice.
I mean, not that everybody
at the district attorney's office isn't nice, but...
(sighs): It's kind of refreshing
not to ponder death and evil every day.
So what now?
Dreams of new products
and profit and loss statements?
We can only hope.
♪ ♪
(gasping)
I saw it, Lee.
Someone texted him the address of Autumn Colville's apartment.
But he didn't kill her.
He just cleaned up after whoever did.
You sound like what I'm saying is absurd. I know.
There's a reason for that.
Allison, why would Brad Auerbach,
the guy who's heading up the task force
to catch this butcher, drive out in the middle of the night
and cut up bodies into easily disposable pieces for him?
Doesn't make any sense.
I don't know, maybe he knows the killer
and he's trying to protect him.
Maybe he's getting paid for it.
What difference does it make, Lee?
He's doing it.
No. Sorry.
You're talking about Brad Auerbach.
You're talking about a fellow detective.
Okay, look, I get it.
You respect the guy.
And-And maybe I'm crazy.
But there has got to be a way that you can look into this
without setting off alarms,
without embarrassing yourself.
If you could just ask him about the bag.
There, there was this case that he was using,
this big, rolling black bag.
He put all his tools in it,
everything he needed to clean up.
It was like a, a salesman's case.
Or don't.
Say hi to Lynn.
Don't do that.
"A big, black case."
I'll try.
Thank you.
(phone ringing)
Hello?
MAN (on phone): Joe, hi.
This is Bill Whitaker, Ashley's dad.
Uh, we met at one of those, uh, parent-teacher things.
Do you have a minute?
And this is the only employee
that you're worried about? Well, he's really
the only person who jumped out at me.
I mean, he's the only person I had a strong response to.
A strong negative response.
It's... It's hard to put into words.
So there's nothing specific,
nothing that you can...
put your finger on. Just...?
Just a kind of darkness.
Towards the company. Towards you.
I'm sorry. I wish I had more to offer.
I really don't even know what he does for the company.
Most of the information in his file
was blacked out with a marker.
That's quite all right.
I'm very familiar with this particular employee.
I appreciate your input.
I'll handle this matter personally.
ALLISON: When Mr. Lydecker
says he's going to handle something personally,
what does that mean? What does it mean?
It means that if he suspects someone of being disloyal,
that person usually find themselves
being transferred off of our key projects.
Basically, they're benched until their contract runs out.
Usually, they get the message before then and move on.
So if I share my impressions about someone,
I could ruin their career?
Are you worried about that kid you pointed out?
Relax. Nothing's going to happen to him.
He's kind of a... special case.
He's Justin Lydecker.
Mr. Lydecker's son.
Oh, my God.
I just accused the CEO's son of, of...
Being exactly who he is.
Trust me, Allison.
You are not the first person to point out
that Justin Lydecker is never going to become
the employee of the month.
He's kind of a running joke around here,
the poster boy for "just say yes" to anything.
Drugs, clubbing...
Lots of days Justin doesn't even bother to show up around here.
I don't know why Mr. Lydecker even bothers to keep him around.
I know he used to think that one day
maybe Justin would take over for him.
Now, I think he prays that kid lives to see 30.
WOMAN: Mrs. Dubois?
Your husband called several times.
He said he needs to speak with you as soon as possible.
Thank you. Excuse me.
Hey.
Aren't you guys supposed to be at work?
I got a call from Ashley's father today.
He's convinced that his daughter is sharing
her antianxiety medication with you.
Tell us this isn't true.
Or that there's some aspect of it that we don't understand.
It's complicated.
I'll bet it is.
It wasn't for fun or anything.
There was nothing fun about it.
It's just... the PSATs are coming up,
and there's this girl and she won't leave me alone,
and she won't let me study
or concentrate... Wait a second. Hold on. Hold on. What girl?
Stacey Anne Burrows.
Okay, so you took drugs?
That makes no sense.
Not drugs.
It's like you said. It's Ashley's prescription.
And she takes it so she can concentrate.
And that's why I took it, and it worked.
She left me alone.
Stacy Anne just...
Wha... wha-what am I missing?
Stacey Anne... is she dead?
(sobbing)
What the hell are you doing here at this hour?
It's a good thing I got a change of underwear inside.
New development in the case.
I was in the area, knew you were just getting off detail...
Thought I'd take a shot.
At 2:00 in the morning?
You sure you weren't waiting for me?
It seems like maybe you were waiting for me.
Yeah, well, I guess maybe I was.
Maybe I was waiting for you.
All right, so what's the big break?
Turns out it's a team.
Two guys.
One guy does the deed.
The other, he comes in after the fact,
gets rid of the body, cleans up.
Knows what he's doing, too.
Leaves the place forensically spotless.
Okay.
And where'd you get this?
I mean who are you talking to that I'm not talking to?
Why? You want a name?
Yeah. I want a name.
I want to talk to the guy,
'cause I got to say, that doesn't sound right.
I mean, I've heard of serial killers
working in pairs before.
You know, like, uh, thrill-killers
taking turns, but nothing like
what you're describing.
No, it doesn't make sense.
I mean, what's in it for the guy who cleans?
I don't know.
Money maybe.
Maybe the guy doesn't make that much.
Maybe the guy's a cop.
(scoffs)
Well, that's nuts.
Yeah, well, the thing is, I need to look in that case, Brad.
Me? You think it's me?
I think I need to look in that case.
What are you doing, man?
Have you lost your mind?
It's me. It's Brad.
Well, then the case doesn't matter.
Fine.
I'm not a good forgetter, Lee.
Just so you know,
when this is over, I'm not a good forgetter.
(gunshot)
(gasps)
(phone keypad beeping)
(line ringing)
SCANLON: Yeah?
Lee, it's Allison. Are you all right?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
My God, I just had the most horrible dream.
Detective Auerbach shot you.
Yeah, well, not to worry.
Your dream was wrong.
Detective Auerbach didn't kill me.
I killed him.
Good news.
Forensics just finished its preliminary analysis
on the items from that black case in Auerbach's garage.
For starters, there was a power saw
with traces of skin, blood, and bone on the blade.
Obviously, we still need to make a DNA match with the victims,
but, um, from the sound of it, I think you're going to be okay.
Maybe even better than okay.
Everybody's on board:
the mayor, the governor, the chief of police.
You're a hero, Lee.
The guy drew on me. I'm no hero.
Sorry it took me so long to hear you.
It's okay. I'm just happy you're alive.
We're all just happy that you're alive.
SCANLON: Doesn't seem fair.
We can review Brad's bank statements,
check out his phone logs,
see if we can figure out who his sick partner is,
but if nothing shakes loose...
I didn't just kill a bad cop.
I shot the only guy on the planet
who can definitely tell us who our killer is.
You scared me.
Sorry.
I was out
most of the night.
Stuff from my old job.
When I finally got back here, I couldn't get to sleep.
I just kept thinking...
thinking about you.
Hey, I want you to go to the doctor.
But it has to be somebody who knows about me-- about how I am.
Hopefully have some kind of sympathy
for how difficult it can be.
I don't think I get what you're saying.
I did a little research on that medicine that you were taking.
It's pretty common.
A lot of people take it.
The Web site says that... the side effects are very minimal.
And I... I started wondering
what high school would have been like for me
if I had a drug like that, people to talk to.
What?
(chuckles)
I'm awake, right?
Hey, I still think what you did was incredibly reckless.
Hey. Incredibly dangerous.
You can never do that again.
And part of me cannot even believe
that we're having this conversation.
But Daddy and I talked.
And... if the doctor thinks that medication
will improve the quality of your life...
Mom, can I ask you something?
If you can't get me an appointment right away,
can I just use the rest of Ashley's pills
just to get me through the test?
No. Honey, we promised we would give those pills
back to Ashley's parents.
And until a doctor tells us
that there's a medicine that makes sense for you...
But I promise that I will try to get that appointment
as soon as possible.
And until then, well, I'm a good listener.
LYDECKER: When did you realize he was my son?
Caitlyn told me.
Why do you look so frightened?
Do I look frightened?
Yes, you look terrified.
And why are you standing by the door?
Come into the room. Have a seat.
I went to see Justin yesterday.
I told him I had some concerns about his lifestyle.
It's nothing I haven't said to him before.
Usually he ignores me.
But this time he insisted that I was wrong.
Says that he's finally ready to become a grown-up.
Take some responsibility for his life... his work.
I was wondering if you'd mind
meeting with him.
I'd be very curious to hear your impressions.
See if you think that he has actually
turned a corner in his life.
(ballpoint pen clicking)
So, this is exciting.
I'm one of the first people in the company
to get a look at my dad's new toy.
(chuckles)
I don't think your father thinks of me as a toy.
No, I know.
But you should realize that you are now officially
topic #1 around the water cooler here at Lydecker.
Everybody knows you do the same thing that Caitlyn does,
and honestly, I think they're a little surprised
that my dad would bring in another six-figure napper.
There's far more to my job than taking naps.
Your father is interested in my impressions of things... people,
which is why I think he wanted me to sit down with you.
Yeah. That's what I figured.
He wants you to tell him
if his only son is permanently screwed up
or if I can be... salvaged.
That's not exactly the way he put it.
No, but that is what he wants to know.
And honestly, I can't really blame him.
I've spent most of the last decade disappointing the man.
DUIs, assault charges,
all those stints in rehab.
I mean, it's... (chuckles)
it's hardly a secret that I've been a total disaster
for a long time.
(clicking pen)
Look, I know that my dad doesn't trust me.
I can't blame him.
But I'm 26 years old,
and my greatest accomplishment in life
is-is sleeping with a girl
who came in second place on a reality show.
I guess I'm just tired of being a joke.
And all that dark stuff is in the past.
(sighs): And I want to change.
I have changed.
(clicking pen)
(clicking echoing)
(sobbing)
Look, I have to be honest with you.
I don't really believe in what you do.
But I know that my dad does.
So please,
I'd really appreciate it if you'd tell him
that his prodigal son is doing just fine.
Suicide?
I kept leaving messages for Mr. Lydecker,
explaining that it was urgent.
He never called back. Then I tried to tell Caitlyn,
but she was with him behind closed doors.
I just feel like crying.
I mean, that boy...
That boy must have had every possible advantage in life.
And even with that, he's so unhappy.
He's ready to stick a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger.
Wow.
How does that happen?
I don't know. I've been asking myself that for hours.
What didn't he get?
What didn't his father give him?
Time, maybe?
Was he too busy building an empire to be a good father?
And the punch line is...
I come home from work and I miss dinner again
and my girls are already asleep.
Oh, come on. I don't think it's the same thing.
Are you sure? Yeah.
I hope you're right.
WOMAN: Take one test booklet and pass the others back.
You will have 25 minutes for part one of the exam.
Before you begin,
be sure to complete the personal information in section A.
Please be sure that you fill in all of the ovals completely.
You should be using a #2 pencil.
If your pencil breaks, I have extras here at my desk.
Please raise your hand and you may come up to get one.
Eyes on your own paper, please.
Abraham Lincoln was America's greatest president.
Check your spelling on "president."
I think you've got a couple of extra Es
kicking around in there.
Okay, Daddy.
Lincoln's mother died in infancy.
And he was born in a log cabin, which he built.
You might want to check your facts on that.
If Lincoln's mom died when she was an infant,
there would be no Lincoln.
Nope. I think you're wrong about that.
That's what our teacher told us.
Yeah, I heard that, too.
ARIEL: Uh, Dad?
Hmm? Where's Mom?
Uh, I don't know, sweetie.
She had to go in extra early today.
Is something wrong?
Do you think there's any way
that you could get me in to see the doctor today?
Today?
Uh, I don't think so, honey.
Um, the doctor that Mom has in mind is out of town
till the end of the week. Why? What's going on?
Just... I had this dream, this crazy dream.
Okay. Well, you know,
bad dreams are really your mom's area of expertise.
But, uh... It's okay. It's probably nothing.
It's not like it even made a lot of sense.
I just... I was taking the PSATs,
and I was in a classroom that I'd never been in before,
and the teacher was giving the exam.
I'd never seen her, either, and...
It's, uh, it's probably nothing.
Are you sure? Because maybe I could reach Mom on the phone.
We could figure something out.
No, it's okay.
Thanks.
(bell ringing)
Did you hear? What?
Okay, apparently, Mr. Rutherford has some radical stomach virus.
There's a note on the door that we have to go to some room
in the auxiliary building for second period.
Oh, my God.
What?
There's something familiar about this room.
WOMAN: Okay. Everyone, let's settle down.
Please. Take a seat.
As most of you probably already know,
Mr. Rutherford went home sick.
My name is Ms. Snowden.
I'll be your teacher until he gets back on his feet.
REPORTER (on TV): Authorities continue to investigate
a possible connection
between slain police detective Brad Auerbach
and the recent string of serial killings in the Phoenix area.
So far, they're refusing to confirm whether they consider
Auerbach a suspect or just person of interest
in this case... (TV shuts off)
Mr. Lydecker?
I'm sorry. Your assistant told me to come right in.
Thank you.
You left me a number of urgent messages.
Sir, I'm concerned about your son.
I sense that he's in a real moment of crisis.
He's consumed by a profound sense of despair.
And I'm fairly certain
he's going to attempt to hurt himself.
I appreciate your concern.
And I've sensed the same thing myself.
Now, rest assured, he's being watched.
I've reached out to a number of mental health professionals.
Truth be told, at this moment, I am less concerned
about Justin's well-being than I am with yours.
Caitlyn and I have been reviewing your log,
your dreams,
your impressions.
I fear we may have a problem, Allison.
Really? I'm sorry. I...
The dreams you've been having
about this, uh, this police detective...
the one who just died, the one that you believe
is connected to this recent spate of murders?
Can I ask you about those?
Please.
The fact that he was slain by a former colleague of yours
the night after
you dreamed that he was connected
to this horrible string of murders...
I suspect that that's not a coincidence.
I'm not following where you're going...
Did you mention your dreams to your colleague?
Yes, I did.
All right, well, I understand that you're new here.
I understand that you're...
you are still finding your footing.
But I need to be completely clear about one thing.
We are paying you an extremely large sum of money.
Your thoughts, your dreams, your impressions...
they belong to Lydecker now.
They are actually
the intellectual property of this company,
so any attempt
on your part to share those thoughts, those dreams,
those impressions, with anyone outside of this company
would actually constitute an act of theft.
And I would hate to have to prosecute you.
Sir, I take your point, but the dreams that we're talking about
have nothing to do with Lydecker,
and everything to do with an open police investigation
in which lives clearly hang in the balance.
Certainly, you can appreciate that distinction.
Yeah, of course I do.
And I do appreciate your sense of civic responsibility.
However...
if you ever breach your contract again,
if you ever breach my confidence again,
I will litigate you with a vigor
unlike anything you have ever experienced in your life.
I will see to it
that between the cost of defending yourself
and the time it takes to mount that defense,
both you and your husband will be absolutely penniless.
Your house will be gone.
Your children will have no futures.
Don't misunderstand, Allison.
It's my expectation that you will work here
for a very long time.
Maybe the rest of your life.
I want you to be happy.
I want us both to be happy.
REPORTER (on TV): Clear skies tonight with a high of 91.
Increasing cloudiness tomorrow.
Sticky and humid with a high of 61.
How long are you going to sit out here?
Till I make sense of it.
I'll get you some blankets and a pillow.
How can you be so sanguine about this?
Those dreams that I was sharing with the authorities
had nothing to do with Lydecker.
I know that.
All right. Then you tell me how the company is affected
if I help the police catch whoever is killing these women.
I can't. I don't think it would be.
Exactly.
Mr. Lydecker treated me like I was some kind of traitor.
Like I was sharing secrets with his biggest competitor.
I started to think
that he was going to fire me right then and there.
Well, he could have.
I mean, you did violate the terms of your contract.
Excuse me to help stop a murderer.
But that's not his concern.
That's not the business that he's in.
Look, is this guy going to be named citizen of the year?
No.
But... hold on a sec. Don't jump down my throat here.
He does have kind of a point.
Your ideas, your thoughts are one of the things
that he's paying for.
It was the same thing when I worked at Aerodytech.
Everything that I thought up belonged to them.
Now, you want to talk cosmic right and wrong?
Yeah, you did a good thing by calling Scanlon.
And that's to your credit.
But let's just say that I...
I dreamed up an idea where I could solve
all the world's energy problems while I was at Aerodytech
and I brought it straight to the UN.
Do you think that my employers
would have patted me on the back,
or do you think they would have sued me for everything I had?
Doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense.
Yeah, well, welcome to corporate America.
(gun cocking)
(sobbing)
Oh, God.
Oh, God...
Oh, God.
(phone keypad beeping)
Justin.
Oh, my God, it was Justin.
Captioning sponsored by CBS.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org